User blog:Holly Nightmare/August 2018 Wiki Update
Two months after the announcement of Remedy Entertainment's newest game title Control, we've been given a lot of exciting information, and there's also a lot of unanswered questions lingering in the air. The mystery and intrigue for this upcoming title is real. The Control Wiki will hopefully continue to be a hub for reliable information about Jesse Faden , the FBC , and the Oldest House as we continue to see Dev Diaries and other revelations about Control's world from the developers. As a dedicated contributor to this wiki, I'd like to begin these blog posts to talk about information and concepts that lie outside of the Wiki space and in the realm of speculation and fan theory. Consider them collections of unrelated thoughts and information. Brief Summary: What We Know The Federal Bureau of Control is a secret government organization that has existed for an unknown amount of time. Their duty is to seek out and study Altered Items, objects which defy natural law and instead obey laws of meaning and dream logic. Their headquarters is the Oldest House, a supernatural location that is vastly larger on the interior than the exterior, and which can be explored and controlled via magical rituals. Jesse Faden is a woman who gained supernatural powers as a result of a traumatic experience in her youth, and she has come to the FBC seeking answers. On the same day that Jesse arrives, an otherworldly force called the Hiss invades the Oldest House and corrupts reality, killing FBC Director Zachariah Trench. For unknown reasons, Jesse is thrust into the role of Director, and now must fight her way through the Oldest House and defeat the Hiss in order to find the answers she seeks. Thoughts on Control's World - Philosophy and Psychology I have experience exploring the lore of some of Remedy Entertainment's other titles, especially 2010's Alan Wake, which has numerous similarities to Control in terms of theme, genre, and tone. It is my opinion that the two share similar premises, and though it is early to speculate, I believe psychology (especially Jungian) and philosophy (especially metaphysics/ontology) play an important role in forming both worlds. Based on comments by Sam Lake, I believe the Control world to be Jung-inspired, tying in with numerous mentions of' "dream logic" and connections of meaning. Carl Jung was known for studying dreams, and for his paranormal belief in "synchronicity," the concept of events and phenomena being connected not by causality but by meaning. This specifically brings to mind Trench's quote: "Some things aren't connected by causality but rather by the meaning we give them." Sam Lake has also stated that "archetypes and collective unconscious" play a heavy role in how the supernatural is presented in Controls world. The connection between psychology and physical reality as it is presented in Control is subject to debate and is far from certain. My tentative perspective is that both Control and previously Alan Wake take place in universes inspired by versions of the philosophy of idealism; that mind, rather than matter, is the fundamental substance of reality. Some of these paradigms postulate our reality as being merely the surface layer of an unconscious, daimonic "dream realm," which does not obey laws of physics but is rather a place of metaphor and meaning. Dreams represent our subconscious minds entering this reality. This brings to mind the connection between "dream logic" and "other realms" in Control. Under this interpretation, supernatural phenomena represent instances of aspects of this reality leaking into our own. I'm interested in seeing how Control explains the absence of empirical evidence of supernatural phenomena in everyday life - most likely by placing responsibility on the FBC. Control and Alan Wake There are numerous important connections between Control and Alan Wake, which ought to be noted for sake of establishing the possible shared universe between the two. Various media connected to the core video game of Alan Wake alludes to the existence of the Bureau, including an Alan Wake 2 teaser blog mentioning an alleged FBI agent who wears a badge that reads "AWE." Quantum Break, Remedy's next title, ties them together further by spelling out the acronym AWE as meaning either "Alan Wake Experience" or "Altered World Event." The "Bureau of Altered World Events" is also mentioned in one of Quantum Break's Quantum Ripples. If we are to speculate that Alan Wake and Control share a universe in some way, I believe there will be some indication of Alan Wake's lore within the Oldest House, perhaps an object from the game (such as the Clicker) being contained in a crucible and studied. If the two stories do not share a universe, the important theory still stands that Control was once intended to be an extension of Alan Wake, or the FBC and AWEs were once to be used in an Alan Wake sequel, until Remedy Entertainment lost the publishing rights to Alan Wake. Other Theories and Speculation Jesse Faden is an Altered Item Like other Altered Items and Objects of Power, Jesse has been acted upon by otherworldly forces, and has thus gained supernatural properties. Because objects (such as the Benicoff TV) and places (such as the Oldest House) can be affected by otherworldly forces, it stands to reason that organisms can be as well, explaining Jesse's powers and abilities. Zachariah Trench is voiced by James McCaffrey McCaffrey voiced significant characters in Remedy's previous games, including the titular character in Max Payne and Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne as well as Thomas Zane in Alan Wake. Confirmed September 2018: McCaffrey is indeed the voice of Trench. Yay! The Oldest House was discovered rather than created Based on its unpredictable nature and constantly shifting topography, the Oldest House may have been discovered by the FBC as an Altered Item/Object of Power rather than being built under ordinary circumstances. They have simply converted a region of this supernatural place into their headquarters. Alternatively, the Oldest House was once ordinary, but the FBC altered it using an Object of Power in order to make it their gateway into the supernatural and contain Altered Items. Confirmed December 2018: Trench revealed in the World Trailer that the FBC discovered the Oldest House in New York on August 4, 1964. Jesse Faden is connected to the Hiss The Hiss invades the Oldest House on the same day that Jesse arrives there. Additionally, Jesse and the Hiss possess similarities in the nature of their powers; Drifters, for example, have telekinesis much like Jesse. For these reasons, Jesse and the Hiss may be intimately connected in some way, perhaps psychologically. This connection may also be why Jesse is appointed the Director of the FBC. The Oldest House has annexes in other locations The skyscraper in New York City is only one entrance to the Oldest House; it has other "points of entry" across the U.S. or the world, including possibly the Wayfarer Inn. The Oldest House may be so large that it connects to all of the supernatural realms studied by the FBC. Confirmed December 2018: The Oldest House has rooms called Thresholds that lead to other dimensions. The FBC exists (at least partly) to serve the Black Pyramid It has been stated that everything the Bureau does is for a reason, and nothing is as it seems. Jesse describes herself as "the servant of the Black Pyramid" in one ritual, and the Black Pyramid iconography appears on the logo of the FBC. It's possible that the FBC is secretly meant to carry out the will of the Black Pyramid, or Trench himself is just allied with it. Appendix: A Helpful List of Wiki Pages Here's all the important wiki pages we have so far: Control Characters/Enemies Jesse Faden Zachariah Trench Hiss Drifter Groups Federal Bureau of Control Locations/Topography Oldest House Wayfarer Inn Panopticon Astral Plane Firebreak Objects Altered Item Object of Power Service Weapon Other Altered World Event Black Pyramid Ritual Shift Thanks a bunch for reading, and may the laws of physics never stop you. - Holly Nightmare aka tsunderekatsu Category:Blog posts